@£@@%==«.. ..«==%@@£@
#@£@%==«.. ..«==%@£@#
@@%=...... ......=%@@
££@%%==«.. ..«==%%@££
@@£@%==«.. ..«==%@£@@
@%==«..... #...««««««««...# .....«==%@
@@%==..... ####.«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««.#### .....==%@@
@@£@%==«.. #...««««««««...# ..«==%@£@@
@£%====«.. ..«====%£@
##@@%==«.. ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ..«==%@@##
@£%==..... LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES .....==%£@
£££@%==«.. OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ..«==%@£££
£%=««..... ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE .....««=%£
@%==...... BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ......==%@
@@£@%==«.. SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ..«==%@£@@
#@£@%==«.. INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ..«==%@£@#
@%%===.... ANTENNA ARRAYS ....===%%@
££%=««.... WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ....««=%££
@@%%=«.... DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ....«=%%@@
£@===..... .....===@£
#@£@%==«.. WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE ..«==%@£@#
#@£@%==«.. SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS ..«==%@£@#
##@@%==«.. PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR ..«==%@@##
@£@@%==«.. GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, ..«==%@@£@
£%=«...... AND «OUR« LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE ......«=%£
#@£@%==«.. GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS ..«==%@£@#
##@£@%=«.. ..«=%@£@##
£%=....... AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT .......=%£
@%==...... VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ......==%@
#@£@%==«.. CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND ..«==%@£@#
##@@%==«.. THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA ..«==%@@##
##@@%==«.. AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE ..«==%@@##
£@%%==.... AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES ....==%%@£
@@@==..... HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT .....==@@@
##@£@==«.. ..«==@£@##
@@£@%==«.. AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR ..«==%@£@@
@@@%===«.. (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR ..«===%@@@
£@@%=«.... RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE ....«=%@@£
@%%%===«.. AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR ..«===%%%@
£%==«..... MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), .....«==%£
@%=====«.. DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ..«=====%@
£@@@%==«.. COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ..«==%@@@£
@====««... FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ...««====@
@===«..... BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY .....«===@
££%%%==«.. DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ..«==%%%££
##@£@==«.. ..«==@£@##
##£@%==«.. NO . ONE . HAS . ANSWERED ..«==%@£##
##£@%==«.. ..«==%@£##
@@£@%==«.. #...««««««««...# ..«==%@£@@
#@£@%==«.. ####.«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««.#### ..«==%@£@#
@%%==«.... #...««««««««...# ....«==%%@
#@£@%==«.. ..«==%@£@#
£%=....... SO WHY IS THAT? .......=%£
#@£@%==«.. ..«==%@£@#
#@£@%==«.. MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ..«==%@£@#
££@@%==«.. THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ..«==%@@££
£££@%==«.. A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ..«==%@£££
@@£@%==«.. PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ..«==%@£@@
£@%==«.... DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ....«==%@£
#@£@%==«.. HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ..«==%@£@#
£@=====«.. ..«=====@£
£@@%=«.... BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ....«=%@@£
@===...... DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ......===@
@@%===.... ....===%@@
##@£%==«.. I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ..«==%£@##
@@=====«.. IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ..«=====@@
#@£@%==«.. SHOWS) ..«==%@£@#
@@=«...... ......«=@@
£%====.... #...««««««««...# ....====%£
£%====««.. ####.«« FERMI'S PARADOX ««.#### ..««====%£
#@£@%==«.. #...««««««««...# ..«==%@£@#
£@%=««.... ....««=%@£
#@£@%==«.. I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ..«==%@£@#
@@%===.... THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ....===%@@
#@£@%==«.. FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ..«==%@£@#
@===«..... .....«===@
£%=====«.. ..«=====%£
##@£@==«.. ..«==@£@##
##@£%==«.. ..«==%£@##
@@==«..... .....«==@@